


Circuit

by violinbythefire



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 23:26:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14483529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violinbythefire/pseuds/violinbythefire
Summary: Set between 1x06 and 1x07Once again, Rio ignores personal boundaries and snoops in Beth's house.





	Circuit

Damn, the money white bitches can spend. 

Rio’s eyes lingered over the features of Beth’s home, taking in the quality of the furniture and the décor. His hands were shoved into pockets, his lower lip poking out slightly as he regarded the shiny, sleek appliances.

You did not get far into this business without knowing who you were working for, or in the case of the women who stole from you. Rio knew what he needed to know about them before he ever formally introduced himself. The mouthy blonde was a single mother, working for shit money at a grocery store. The same grocery store she robbed. Stupid fucking move. The nervous, black woman worked for tips to keep her little daughter healthy. 

Rio almost felt sorry for the two of them. He might have been more lenient in his deadline. You do what you have to do for your kids. They still stole from him and he would still have shot them for the debt, but that did not negate the fact that he understood exactly where they were coming from.

This shit with Beth though? This shit he didn’t understand. 

What was her fucking problem?

Rio walked through the house, his eyes settling on the pictures of Beth’s family displayed proudly for all to see. He picked one up, his lips twitching slightly at the picture of Beth in a hospital bed with a baby. Beth was looking at the child with affection and devotion. Beth might actually be decent. 

A greedy bitch, but a decent one.

He set the picture down, the click of glass against the surface the only sound that indicated his presence. He knew he was alone. The man of the house, the joker Beth married, was at work, the kids were at school and Beth was hopefully out making his money. He had no problem with her, no reason to speak to her. So why was he there?

Well, when you figure it out, let him know, would you?

Rio had his fair share of people stand up to him. Rio had no patience for it. You either stand in line or you get out. Fighting him would be a waste of time. Rio never negotiated. Yet as Beth sat there in the chair with a gun to her head, taking a huge risk of lashing out of him in anger and self preservation. Instead of annoyance, Rio felt something twist in his stomach. He was almost impressed. He wouldn’t think that a pampered housewife could pull it off. Rio was surprised. He had lived long enough in this world to see the predictability in everything and everyone. Beth threw him off. And he liked that. 

He did not want to kill her.

It was easy for Rio to justify it to himself. Three dead women did get Rio his sixty thousand dollars. It would puff up his reputation, but he would still be out of cold hard cash. So he reasoned that the women could pull a job, give him the money, and everyone could go on their own way. Rio would be running his business and Beth would be cutting the crust off bread or whatever it was indulgent mothers did. Rio wouldn’t know.

But the crazy woman wanted a job. She wanted more. Rio couldn’t figure out what her motive was. Annie and Ruby were easy. Their family, their kids. Beth, though? Her lifestyle was threatened. Her perfect little world with her perfect not so little house would be taken away from her. Was that it?

No, that couldn’t be it. There had to be something else. 

Rio may be in his own head with his own thoughts, but he was not lost. He could hear Beth’s minivan in the driveway. The door opened and he could hear the chatter of Beth and her sister. He should go. But he did not make a move. Instead, he straightened up, put a smirk on his face and turned around just in time to see Beth and Annie walk into the house. The startled look on their faces always amused him.

They were quiet for a moment. He could almost see the wheels going through their head. Why could he be there? Well, he would put them out of their misery. With eyes on Beth alone, he moved his head in Annie’s direction, “Scram, will you? I have to talk to Beth alone.”

Annie’s eyes went wide and she protested at once, “What? No way-“

“It’s okay,” Beth said, her voice calm as she met Rio’s eyes, “Wait in the car. I’ll be fine.” 

Rio did not say anything. He just watched as Annie opened her mouth and then closed it. She looked like she was going to fight her sister’s decision, but instead let out a nervous scoff before walking back to the car. Beth took a step back, pushing the door shut behind her. “What now?” She asked, now averting her eyes. Her cheeks were pink, an easy thing to do with that ivory skin of hers. 

“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” He told her with a laugh, watching as her anxiety turned to confusion, “This is just a social call. I got a question for you. You answer. I leave.” 

Beth nodded slowly, clearly still unsure of where this conversation was going. Good. She needed to be kept on her toes. “Okay…” There was a silence between them as Rio tried to figure out how to phrase his question. “Can I…can I get you anything? I have juice, water, lemonade, diet coke-“

It came to him and he had no problems interrupting her.

“Why are you doing this?” Rio asked. Sometimes, being forthright was the best tool. 

“Doing what?” She countered, her fear returning. She was putting on a good show, but he could see it in her eyes. She was becoming a better liar, but she still had a way to go. 

“The jobs. I get that you need money. We all need money. Some less than others. You’re a less, Elizabeth,” Rio told her, looking around the current room he was in and waving his hand, carelessly.

“I told you,” She huffed, her voice quiet and bothered, “My husband lost our savings, ruined our credit. I’m paying for the mortgage.”

Did she honestly think he believed that? “That’s not it though,” Rio told her, clicking his tongue in a scolding manner for lying to him, “There’s something more…” He stepped forward, watching as she took a step back in response. But she still kept her eyes on him. Her lips pursed, almost ruining the pretty image her face made. 

“There’s nothing else,” Beth told him, her voice very even as she refused to give him a single clue to what was going on in that brain of hers. 

“Hm,” Rio uttered as he moved his eyes along Beth’s body, lingering on her. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s cool. As long as you do what you I tell you to do and you don’t screw me” (he thought he saw her flinch at those words), “I’m good with you having that secret.” He moved again, his body now in her personal space. Beth had nowhere to go, but she did not seem frightened by that fact. 

Rio never felt this type of lust before. He thought Beth was hot from the beginning. Maybe it was that ‘opposites attract’ factor. It was not like he regularly interacted with classy middle aged redheads. But it was more than that. He felt something in the air, something stronger than intuition. 

Beth’s chest moved with each breath she took. She was wearing a white buttoned up blouse. Rio wondered if he would take her shirt off by undoing button by button or if he would just rip it off with the buttons flying off. When Rio met Beth’s eyes again, he saw that she had broken the gaze as well. Her eyes were on his torso. He couldn’t help but laugh. What if they were thinking the same thing?

“What’s so funny?” Beth questioned, looking back to him. 

“You,” Rio answered immediately, moving back from her. It was fun to pretend. But they weren’t little kids. Pretending was not going to cut it. And mixing business with pleasure was rule number one when dealing with females. Beth looked more perplexed than ever. Her eyes widened and she just stared at him, unspeaking and unmoving.

“You mind moving?” Rio finally asked, gesturing towards the door.

Beth blinked rapidly before stuttering out ,”Oh-oh, yeah, of course…” She turned and opened the door, letting Rio out. As Rio expected, Annie was waiting by the car, her eyes trained on the door. 

“See you ladies later,” Rio waved off, not giving Beth a second glance. He walked from her and past Annie without any further acknowledgement. 

He made his way to the end of the driveway and smiled when he heard Annie’s whispered and frantic, “What the fuck was that about?” He shoved his hands in his pockets to grab his keys, unlocking the car he parked across from Beth’s house. When he opened the car door, he turned to look back at the house, expecting Beth and Annie to be gone. Instead, Beth stood at the door, looking at him. Annie stood by her side, her arms crossed and a look of exasperation on her face. But Rio couldn’t be bothered by that.

Beth was smiling out of all things, smiling at him.

Rio chuckled and shook his head as he got in the car. He paused as his hand gripped the door handle. His heart hand jumped in his chest. When was the last time his heart did anything that wasn’t the result of adrenaline? No, this was not happening. Rio did not negotiate and he was sure not going to negotiate with his own feelings.

“Come on, Rio,” He sighed under his breath as he pulled the car door shut. “Let’s not do this…” His eyes flickered to the house once more and saw that the women had walked back into the house. He let out a relieved sigh. 

It just couldn’t happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
